How important are toys in the lives of young children? They are as important as our attitude towards play. "The young child who is playing all day long, is not wasting his time. He is busy educating himself." This is the philosophy of play expressed by some psychologist. The child learns to do by doing, by experiencing, by making errors. The child's greatest interest is to explore, to handle, and to find out things and it must be expected of him/her.
During this play, a child is also building in habits of feeling, thought and action that will ultimately determine his/her personality.
Playing with toys, therefore, becomes an all-important source for the learning of young children. If they are to be benefited to the utmost through toy playing opportunities, they must have some place to play with toys, some place to keep their toys, somebody with whom to play and, possibly most important of all, some toys with which to play.
There are various classifications of the educational value of play materials. It does not matter particularly what categories are used, or what terminologies. What matters is whether the child has been given some play materials representative of all the branches in which he should be experiencing growth.
Let us use the following classifications.
-- Large motor
-- Manipulative
-- Creative and constructive
-- Dramatic
-- Educative toys and Montessori material.
In this connection, it will be well to remember that very young child, whether a boy or a girl, enjoys the same play materials, when given an opportunity to choose.
Large motor: Tricycle, scooter, wagon, walking boards, ladders to climb, swings, slide bridge, floor blocks for building.
Manipulative: Wooden beads, peg boards, (square round, triangular) picture puzzles (limiting the number of pieces), formed boards of various shaped blocks, graduated geometrical inset, coloured cones, matching games of simple familiar objects.
Creative and constructive: Beginner's pencils, rounded scissors, larger sheets of thick paper, paint brushes, water clay, sand and sand toys, a work bench or Montessori table, large headed nails, a hammer and saw.
Creative experiences are incomplete without music and literature. The child's sense of rhythm can be improved by the use of simple time-keeping devices such as a drum, a tambourine, some bells, and triangles.
Dramatic: Dramatic play is encouraged particularly in a house-keeping unit, where a child can imitate the activities he/she observes at his/her home, and as he reaches the pre-school age, elaborates and touches up these activities with his/her own imagination. Particularly enjoyable for dramatic play are: a doll buggy and an unbreakable doll, doll clothes and blankets, a doll bed, wooden animals, wheel toys such as trains, engines, boats, trucks, buses, aeroplanes.
Montessori material: It is very important to remember that the way a child uses his/her toys depends on their accessibility, whether he/she is allowed time interval for rest, and where he/she can play. Where they are used and how they are used is determined by the climate, the space distribution of the home and the availability of a yard. For young children, it would be desirable to have maximum or fresh air and sunshine.
In the selection of an appropriate toy, the following things are suggested for the guidance of parents.
-- Is it attractive? Will the child enhance his/her artistic appreciation through acquaintance and use of this toy? How it is designed, constructed and completed? If painted, are the colours attractive.
-- Is it safe? Is there danger of its breakage very soon, are the corners rounded, are there no sharp edges, will the toy fall apart readily? In the case of a young child, were vegetable dyes used in the paint, may he swallow fuzz from a teddy bear, or get particles of hair from a doll's head in his mouth?
-- Is it durable? Can the toy withstand continuous banging, pushing and pulling? Is it solidly constructed? Is it sturdy and steady? Can it remain with the child for some time?
-- Is it adaptable readily? Can the toys be used in a variety of ways with a variety of other toys?
-- Is it suitable in size and shape? Is the toy neither too large nor too small for the child to use with satisfaction and confidence? Is it light enough for him/her to handle it?
-- Is it challenging and educative? Does the child find stimulation and a desire for constructive play on his own level of development? Is it too advanced for him to enjoy? Does it stimulate interest and activities?
-- Is it simple? Is it free from unnecessary trimming and decorations? Can the child use it easily and readily without adult's help and supervision?
-- Is it hygienic? Can it be washed periodically with soap and water? Can the toy be cleaned some other day? Does it possess a smooth surface? Is its surface free from accumulation of dust and lint particles?
After a toy has met, at least some of these qualities, it would be well to remember that the most important consideration is what the child learns through his/her play opportunities. He needs to grow in all the areas, large muscles, manipulative creative and constructive, and initiative and dramatic.
But among other things the child also needs to learn how to play with other children, to take turns, how to share, to be sympathetic, and understanding and courteous. He/she needs to learn habits of neatness and orderliness. He/she needs to learn how to look after his/her toys, and how to use them.
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